Arizona Soaring Inc

My family bought me a "Bucket List" event for my 65th birthday. A premium acro ride at Arizona Soaring. Absolutely amazing! Shad, my pilot was great! I was blown away by the aircrafts performance and Shad's skill. Even though I am a former high performance military pilot and retired airline pilot. I have to say. Today was on of the best flying experiences I've ever had. I will be back. Thank you AZ Soaring!
Mar 16th, 2023

Had a great flight with Alex. Now I'm heading back home with an itch to become a glider pilot. Thanks for an amazing memory!
Feb 18th, 2023

If you are looking to take a glider ride or getting a glider license this is the place to do it. It's not the cheapest but it will most likely be the fastest. They operate most every day the weather allows and in AZ that's almost every day. They have several instructors with several different personalities. Another reviewer said they didn't particularly like the owner. I could see how some people might not like his style. You are learning to fly. Not be polite. I get along with Jason just fine and he's been my instructor on all but a couple flights. If you're looking for a thrill take the aerobatic ride. It's more fun than any roller coaster you've ever been on. If roller coasters aren't your thing the just take the regular ride. Either ride lasts about 20 minutes. Did I mention gliding isn't cheap. The best time to take a ride or learn in AZ is in the winter. The days are cool and the air is smooth. You don't stay up as long but you learn more. As it gets hotter out you can stay up longer riding the thermals but it's definitely a lot bumpier. The cost. A lot. They have the averages but no one is average. An hour of dual instruction costs $75 for the instructor. But that kind of misleading. You pay a min of 20 min per flight. Many of your flights will be 10 min. The same for the plane. In my case since I'm 240 lbs I need to fly the more expensive glider that is also a little harder to learn in. $75 an hour for that and the same min of 20 minutes. Now add in the tow plane. $50 for the first thousand feet and $1.50 per hundred after that. $150 a flight average is probably a good rule of thumb. They say that the numbers of flights to solo is about your age. I'm closer to 60 than 16 so it took me about 57 flights to solo. Add to that I have thousands of hours in airplanes from Cessna 150's to Airbus 320's. If you find yourself exceeding what it takes to get a private license and you have enough or almost enough time to go for the commercial license then get it. The standards for a commercial aren't really any harder to learn than the standards for a private pilot. The cost now says to get a private pilot airplane license are around 12k. (What I just paid for my 19 yo son). For my commercial glider add on rating. About the same. Flying gliders isn't cheap. But it is fun and challenging.
Jan 5th, 2023

The most Wonderful People, A truly Magical Place of Flying, Learning, and all things Soaring. The Best.
Nov 4th, 2022

Sep 19th, 2022